The Child
by HP-TMI-TS
Summary: Summary: Alec and Magnus have decided that the time has finally come for them to settle down and adopt a child. But is this really what they want? And have they thought hard enough about it? Chapter 21 is up! ;)
1. Chapter 1

H**ello Guys! Im adopting this story from **alecsmanwhore** and** alecsmanwhore** is going to send me the chapters so the first 21 chapters belongs to them! :)**

** A preview of this story is here:**

A time comes in everyone's life when they want to meet somebody, settle down and start a family. This had started for Alexander Lightwood and Magnus Bane, as they had met each other. But then came the settling down... And starting a family...


	2. The Decision

**As I promised Wickedlovely01, I shall create the legendary child of Alec Lightwood and Magnus Bane... I'm not really sure how its gonna turn out just yet, so bear with me... ApolloNico24601, this is our magnificent child... :D It is set after all the books and all the various characters will be cropping up at some point. Enjoy :)_  
_**

A time comes in everyone's life when they want to meet somebody, settle down and start a family. This had started for Alexander Lightwood and Magnus Bane, as they had met each other. But then came the settling down... And starting a family...

For those familiar with biology, the family was the tricky part... Settling down was also a problem, considering Alec was a Shadowhunter and Magnus, the High Warlock of Brooklyn. Each had equally hectic lives, and not room for much else.

Alec could never bring himself to leave the Clave and abandon Izzy, Clary and Jace. Magnus couldn't exactly neglect his duties as High Warlock, it wasn't something you could just leave. Neither was the Clave of course., you couldn't keep in contact with anyone in the Clave after you left.

Then there was the child... They had both been considering adoption for a while, and had finally agreed to the idea.

Of course, they'd have to take it in turns to look after the child, but hopefully Isabelle, Jace and Clary would help. After all, what are friends for?

"There is still the all important question, Alexander. What are we going to call him?"

Alec and Magnus were slumped on the sofa in Magnus's apartment, watching Gilligan's Island, Alec's head resting on Magnus's shoulder.

"I'm not sure, really." Alec replied. "Why are we even watching this Mags? Its a load of crap."

Magnus's mouth dropped open in mock horror. "How could you say such a thing?" He gasped. "And stop trying to change the subject, I can tell when you do that, you know."

Alec looked worried, almost as if Magnus could get inside his head and know exactly what he was thinking. He made the decision to never think of anything dirty again, just in case.

"I honestly don't know..." he trailed off. "Maybe Benedict? I think one of my ancestors was called Benedict." He pondered this to himself for a moment. "Anyway, what do you think?" He asked.

"I want to call him William." Magnus replied, smirking, waiting for Alec's reaction.

Alec's eyes turned cold as he shot him an icy glare. If looks could kill...

"We are not naming our child after William Herondale." He growled through gritted teeth. "It'd be like calling it Jace."

"Such a tasteless name, Jace." Magnus sighed. "And don't worry, we won't call him William. Maybe we should ask Isabelle for some suggestions."

"Good God no!" Alec shuddered. "He would probably end up being called Glitter Child the Fabulous."

"And I wouldn't call him that?" He asked, laughing into the top of Alec's head.

Alec smirked. "I wouldn't put anything passed you, Mags."

They sat there in silence for a few minutes, until a sharp intake of breath caused Alec to jump and pull out a seraph blade.

"Whats happening?" He shouted, waving the blade around wildly.

"Okay, okay, firstly," Magnus took the blade off him and pulled him back down onto the sofa. "Your going to kill somebody if you wave it around like that. Secondly, you didn't say its name, so it wouldn't have been much use to you anyway. And thirdly, I just thought of a perfect name for our child."

Alec flung himself at Magnus, hugging him as tightly as he could. When he pulled away he was still gripping his shoulders.

"I thought something had got you, you absolute idiot!" He yelled. "Don't you dare ever make me panic like that again!"

Magnus started laughing. "That was utterly hilarious. And adorable. I didn't think you cared."

Alec turned bright shade of scarlet. "Of course I care." He muttered under his breath. "So, after all this fuss, what is the oh so brilliant name you have come up with?"

Magnus started to smile widely. "Here it goes," he said and took a deep breath. "Heathcliff Andrew Alec Magnus Banewood." He looked at Alec expectantly, waiting for him to respond.

Alec just sat there looking stunned for a few minutes until Magnus disarmed him by licking his face.

"Ewwww, what the hell, Mags?" He demanded. "And that was for the lick and the name. He'll be ridiculed if he called him that. What even made you think of it?"

Magnus looked at him and winked. "You loved it really. And I was thinking Heathcliff Andrew after the amazing Heath Ledger and Alec, Magnus and Banewood for obvious reasons."

Alec still looked stunned. "That is the most ridiculous name in the world." He turned to watch the television.

Magnus looked hurt. "Fine," He sniffed. "Just so you know, no matter what you call him. I'm still going to call him that, and there's nothing you can do about it."

Alec turned to look at Magnus. "Look, I'm sorry if I've upset you, it's just such an impractical name. Imagine having to call him by his full na-"

"He can be called Heath for short." Magnus put in bluntly.

With a sigh, Alec leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Okay. Whatever makes you happy." He smiled at him.

Magnus managed to retain his look of 'Oh my God, I'm so pissed off with you.' for a few seconds longer until his face cracked into a smile. "You have no idea how happy this makes me!" He clapped his hands in excitement. "Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!"

Alec smirked. "Your welcome."

**I really wasn't sure how to end it, so I decided to leave it there. Please review and tell me honestly what you think, I don't want to be stuck writing a crap FanFiction! Also, should I continue it? Thanks for reading, peace out ;):P**


	3. Breakfast

_**Hey guys: This is a note from HP-TMI-TS: Fanfiction is not working well, and If I cant change the** **below, here is a link to chapter 2 (without spaces and with a http in front)**_

_** : / / fanfiction / s / 9633608 / 2 / The - Child**_

It was a Saturday morning, and Alec and Magnus were in the kitchen. Magnus was sat at the table, resting his head in his hands, eyes closed, looking like he could fall back to sleep at any given moment. Alec was cooking breakfast, which at the moment consisted of a burnt piece of toast, after something strange had happened to the toaster. It wasn't often that a toaster spewed out glitter in all different directions, much to Magnus's delight and Alec's horror. He wondered if the glitter would ever come out of his hair. He was pretty sure Magnus wouldn't mind if it didn't.

"Alec!" Magnus yelled, eyes still closed. "I'm hungry!"

Alec sighed in annoyance.

"If you're so hungry, then come and cook it yourself! Or would you rather this burnt, glittery bit of toast?" He questioned him, arms folded across his chest.

Magnus opened his mouth to answer when he was verbally cock-blocked by his phone ringing. He pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the caller ID.

"Izzy." He said before answering the phone. "Isabelle. What can I do for you this fine morning?" He asked. "I warn you, I'm in a bad mood because Alec can't cook properly!" Alec glared at him across the room and turned around to attempt to cook some sausages.

"At least I'm not the only one then," She laughed down the phone. "I'm coming over by the way."

"Any particular reason?" Magnus asked. "Or do you just want to violate our privacy?" Isabelle laughed again. "No, I just want to see you guys. But if I am going to violate your privacy, please make sure all the doors have locks on them first."

Magnus began to laugh. "The Chairman can pick locks, you know. Maybe Church can too. Just watch out."

At this point Alec looked up from cooking the sausages. "Why are you talking about the Chairman picking locks?" He looked quite worried. Magnus motioned at him to shush, so he could hear what Izzy was saying.

He nodded multiple times and laughed once. "Okay then Izzy, bye."

He pushed the 'end call' button and placed the phone on the table, which was shortly followed by his head.

"Careful. You'll give yourself more brain damage than you already have." He smirked and looked at him despairingly."What's up with you this morning?" He asked, occasionally looking over his shoulder to make sure the sausages weren't burning.

Magnus heaved his head off the table and looked at Alec with golden-green sleep ridden eyes. "I'm honestly not sure, probably just tired." He replied.

Suddenly, his head shot up like a flash. "Is that burning?" He asked, sniffing the air.

Alec quickly spin around. "Oh shit!" He yelled, quickly turning off the gas, making the blue flames disappear from under the pan. He looked at the smouldering sausages with disappointment. "Wow." He said sadly. "I surprise myself sometimes with just how good I am at cooking."

Magnus was fully awake now, and trying his best (and failing) to stifle a laugh. "I'm sorry, but this is hilarious." He managed to say through his now hysterical laughing. "You are honestly the worst cook in the world. You're going to need to get a lot of practise in before we bring Heathcliff home." He continued to laugh softly to himself.

Alec shot him a look of pure fury. "Why can't you magic up some food then if I'm that bad a cook?" He snapped indignantly. "And I'm not the worst cook in the world." He mumbled.

Magnus sighed. "Oh yes, because obviously my magical powers were meant to be used for cleaning up after everytime one of you Shadowhunters messes up. There was a time when my magical skills meant something and people would come from far and wide to pay, yes pay, for my powers. But now they have been reduced to clearing up after the Nephilim. For free too!" Despite complaining, he still snapped his fingers and a toast rack, a plate of sausages and a butter dish appeared on the table. He grabbed a slice of toast, standing up as he did so.

He walked over to the sofa, picked up his jacket and muttered something that sounded like "I'm going for a walk" as he slammed the door behind him.

Alec sighed and walked slowly over to the table, pulling out a chair and sitting down. He grabbed a sausage and started eating it. He couldn't help but smirk at the thought of his failed attempt at breakfast.

His mind wandered back to Magnus. Was it really that he felt under appreciated?

"I'm sure he'll be fine." He said to himself. This wasn't the first time they'd argued, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. But this was one of the few times that it had been Magnus who had stormed off. Normally it was him causing the argument, and Alec needing some time to clear his head.

A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. He pushed back the chair and headed towards the door. As he begun to open the door, he was pushed to the side as Izzy stormed in. "What did you do to Magnus?" She demanded. "He seemed pretty pissed off when I ran into him on the way up here. He didn't even respond when I said hey."

Alec sighed. "Nice to see you too. And Magnus is fine, he's just gone for a walk to clear his head. We had an argument, but it's all okay. Breakfast?" He offered, gesturing at the food on the table.

Isabelle pulled up a chair and sat down. "I'm guessing this is Magnus's work then?" She asked, buttering a piece of toast.

Alec pointed to the cremated sausages on the breakfast bar. "That's my attempt." He admitted. "Probably even worse than yours." He laughed, grabbing a piece of toast from the toast rack. Izzy smirked.

"I am deeply offended at that comment." She said, pretending to be hurt.

"Yeah, I think I've done enough offending for today." He looked down at the table, the quickly back up again. "I have something to tell you." He sat up straight and looked her in the eye. "I should probably wait for Magnus to get back, but considering he's being such a drama queen, I don't think he'll want to talk when he gets back."

Izzy looked shocked. "Wait, hang on, is this going to be something that will scar me forever, like you're a freak of nature and have some how managed to get pregnant, but it's not Magnus's child?" She blurted out.

Alec couldn't stop himself from laughing. "Wow Izzy, just wow. And no, I'm not pregnant."

Isabelle breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God for that. What is it then?" She asked impatiently.

Alec breathed deeply. "Well, me and Magnus have... Well, we've decided to adopt a child."


	4. Forgiveness

Isabelle looked at him in shock for a moment. "Izzy, say something!" Alec yelled, snapping her out of it.

She began to clap her hands excitedly and let out a long squeal before hugging him tightly. "This is brilliant!" She responded chirpily. "This is honestly amazing! When did you decide this? Who else knows? Is is a boy or a girl? What are you going to call it?"Izzy was about to ask another question when Alec's hand clamped firmly over her mouth.

"Okay, maybe one question at a time, please. We decided a few weeks back, but we've only just started to go through with the process now."

Alec opened his mouth to answer the next question when they heard the intercom buzz.

"Do you think it's Magnus?" Izzy asked.

Alec shook his head. "It's his apartment, he would have let himself in."

Alec walked over to the intercom and pressed the 'speak' button.

"Hello? Who is it?" He asked, speaking into the small box mounted on to the wall.

"It's the pizza guy." The voice that spoke sounded bored.

Izzy looked nervous. "Did you order a pizza? Because I didn't."

Alec just laughed. "Jace, I know it's you. Only someone like you could get bored waiting at a door for that length of time."

"Well maybe next time, hurry it up a little." He replied dully. Alec glanced over at Isabelle. "Please don't say anything about the adoption. I don't want him to know just yet." He pleaded.

Isabelle smiled gently. "Don't worry." She reached out a hand and placed it on his shoulder.

"I'm not getting any younger down here, you know!" Jace yelled up. "What's taking so long?"

Alec smirked and opened the door, heading down the steps that led to the main entrance to the apartments. He flung it open and Jace barged in.

"Thank God I don't have to rely on you to save my life." He said sarcastically. "My killer probably would have died of boredom waiting for you to show up, so he could tell you there was nothing you could do to save me." He turned around and grinned as they walked up the steps that led to the apartment.

"So how have things been with you and Magnus?" He asked, not sounding in the slight bit interested. Perhaps he was just trying to make conversation.

"It's been good. He's out on a walk at the moment." Alec replied shortly.

Jace stopped just outside the door. "How is this possible?" He gasped in mock horror.

Alec looked genuinely confused. "How is what possible?" "I- I thought you died if you were separated from each other." He stuttered.

Alec punched him in the arm and smirked. "You know that's not true." He stated.

Jace shrugged. "Seems like it at times." He walked into the apartment, leaving Alec to close the door behind them.

He saw Izzy sat at the table, eating her slice of toast. "Did you guys throw a party and not invite me?" He questioned, sounding offended. "Because everyone's here but me."

"Oh yes, because Clary's hiding in the other room, obviously." Izzy stated sarcastically. "Next time we throw a party, we'll tell you."

Alec just smirked. "If we'd had a party, it would all be a lot messier and Magnus would probably be lying on the floor, covered in sequins and glitter."

"I dread to think." said Jace, sitting down. "Can I have some toast?" He asked.

"Why not, we're feeding everyone this morning." Alec replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Great!" yelled Jace excitedly. "I've got more friends outside who are all starving, I'll just go get them."

He pretended to stand up and laughed.

"You see Jace." Isabelle began. "That would be a convincing lie, except for the fact that we're your only friends."

"I've got Clary and Magnus too, remember." He said sadly. "And me of course." He grinned brightly at them.

"Well, I wouldn't exactly consider myself your friend Wayland." Came a voice from the doorway. They all spun round to discover Magnus, leaning against the frame of the door, examining his fingernails.

"Could you guys excuse us for a second?" Alec asked politely, before stepping outside with Magnus and closing the door behind him.

He began to speak, but Magnus put his finger over Alec's mouth.

"Before you say anything, I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry. I over reacted earlier. All that stuff about my powers not being used for important things, they are important because they matter to you. And I would never ask you to pay, believe me, you pay me well enough." He winked and smirked at him. "Am I forgiven?"

Alec answered that question by pulling him closer using the front of his shirt and kissed him. It was short, but Magnus knew what he meant by it.

They pulled away and Alec pretended to sigh. "Well, I forgive you for everything eventually, so I guess I may as well this time too." Alec looked him in the eye. "I told Izzy we were adopting, but I haven't told Jace yet. It doesn't feel like the right time yet."

Magnus smiled. "That's fine by me." He replied.

Alec went to lean against the closed door, but it was further away than he thought it was. He hit it with an almighty thud.

"I DO NOT NEED TO HEAR MY BROTHER BEING SCREWED AGAINST A DOOR!" Jace yelled from inside.

Alec went a bright shade of scarlet as Magnus laughed at him. "We can be louder if you want!" Magnus yelled through the door and started pounding against it with his fists.

"NO!" Screamed Jace.

They opened the door to find Jace curled up into a ball on the sofa, rocking backwards and forwards.

"You do realise," he began as he looked up at them, "that I can never touch that door again."

"If that's the case, then you can't touch the table, the chairs, the bed, any of the walls or any part of the bathroom, especially not the shower."

Alec kicked Magnus in the shin. "Indiscreet!" he yelled, as Jace curled up into a ball again and rocked to and fro, muttering faintly as he did so.

Magnus just looked at him and laughed. "I don't think Jace is ever going to think of this apartment in the same way again."


	5. Meeting 'Heathcliff'

Alec sat up groggily, rubbing his eyes. He looked over at the alarm clock on his left hand side. 5:30am. He looked over at the sleeping warlock on his right hand side. His mouth was hanging comically open, saliva dribbling down his left cheek. Alec stifled a laugh and picked up his phone off the bedside cabinet. He quickly took a picture and sent it to Izzy, with the caption, "I honestly wonder why I'm still with him."

About ten seconds later, his phone began to ring. He answered it quickly, in case the sound woke Magnus up.

"You could have just texted back like normal people do." Alec complained. "It's 5:30!"

Izzy sounded annoyed. "Well then don't text meat 5:30in the morning!" She growled. "I'm trying to sleep, you twat."

Alec smiled. "But it was pretty funny, you have to admit."

Isabelle laughed down the phone. "It was hilarious. That's definitely one that you have to show to your child."

Alec had forgotten all about the adoption. Oops.

"Will do." He laughed. "See you later."

He hung up and placed the phone carefully next to the alarm clock.

He looked over at Magnus and sighed. He had forgotten to take all the hair products and glitter out of his hair again. Alec smirked and lay back down, letting sleep wash over him once more.

Alec began to dream. His dreams were normally nightmares, of all the horrible things he'd seen. He was only nineteen and these nightmares seemed like the end of the world to him.

The only thing that kept him sane was waking up, and knowing that it was all inside his head, it wasn't happening again. He could only imagine what it must be like for Magnus. Over 800 years and he dreaded to think what he must have seen, what suffering and tragedy had befallen him.

Alec knew about Magnus's parents, of course. Neither of them liked to talk about it, because it was better left unsaid.

In Alec's dream, massive versions of Chairman Meow were stood in a circle surrounding a door. They each took it in turns to try and pick the lock until one finally succeeded. The door swung open, releasing millions of spiders. They all began to scurry towards Alec, a swarm of black, making the most awful scuttling noise.

The swarm began to envelop him, tightening around his chest, slowly suffocating him, dragging him down...

Alec woke with a start, shooting bolt upright in a cold sweat. He looked to the right side of the bed. Magnus was gone. He looked to the left and saw that it was now11:30.

"Morning." A voice yelled from the kitchen.

"How can you always tell when I'm awake?" Alec called back.

Magnus swung his head around the door frame. "I just do." he replied, disappearing again. "Follow me, I want to show you something"

Alec rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, picked up his phone and checked his inbox. There was a text message from Izzy.

"Jace and Clary thought the pic was hilarious, they want you to take more so they can create a webpage dedicated to Magnus's stupid faces. Weird, I know. X"

Alec didn't know how to reply to that, so he just left it.

He walked into the kitchen, completely oblivious to the fact that there was an extra seat at the kitchen table.

"So what did you want to show me?" he asked as he walked over to Magnus, resting his head on his shoulder.

Magnus just stared at him in disbelief. "Are you seriously telling me that you didn't notice?" He pointed towards the extra chair at the kitchen table.

Alec followed his finger to see what he was pointing at. His mouth dropped open.

Sitting at the table was a child. A child. He had short black hair and blue eyes, but not as startling a blue as Alec's. He looked about nine or ten years old, with a surly expression.

Magnus beamed. "Meet Heathcliff Andrew Alec Magnus Banewood. Tah dah!"

"For the last time, my name isn't whatever the hell you just called me. It's Christopher." The boy retorted, without looking at either of them.

Alec was still staring in disbelief. "What?" he said, still stunned. "I thought we were meant to be going over together."

Magnus felt slightly guilty. "It was an emergency meeting." he admitted. "He needed somewhere to live. And fast. They knew we were looking, so they asked me. And here he is!"

"Yes, because I'm so happy about this. "Christopher replied sarcastically. "I get stuck with two gays, one looking like he escaped from the wreckage of an exploding glitter factory and the other an..." He looked Alec up and down. "Emo." He finally decided.

"Outside. Now!" Alec growled through gritted teeth, pulling Magnus outside with him, slamming the door behind him. "What the hell have you gotten us into?" he yelled in disbelief.

"Now, don't over react." Magnus raised both his hands in the air. "He may have a few... Temper problems, but it's nothing we can't handle! We've faced worse."

Alec sighed. "And yet I'm more scared about this than anything else I've ever had to face." He admitted. "I don't know how to look after a child like him! Max was easy, all he ever did was read manga books." His eyes began to tear up when he thought of Max.

Magnus saw his eyes welling up with tears and pulled him close, enveloping him in his embrace, stroking his hair with his thumb. "It'll be okay, I promise. He's staying for a week, to see how he gets on with us. If he's too much trouble, all we have to do is say. Is that okay?" Magnus tilted Alec's chin up so he could look him in the eye.

"I feel pathetic." Alec said, wiping his eyes. "Why can't I just deal with it, why can't I just cope?"

"You're anything but pathetic." Magnus said softly, in a comforting tone. "It's understandable that you feel this way. He's the same age Max was. I'm sorry, it was thoughtless of me to think about adoption."

Alec looked at him and smiled, blinking through tear filled eyes. "It wasn't thoughtless, it's sweet that you wanted to start a family. I just don't think I'm ready for it yet though."

Magnus took in what he said before replying. "Well, we've got a week with him, let's just see what that has to offer." He smiled again. "

Well." began Alec. "It's certainly not going to be boring."


	6. Chapter 6

Alec sat down, while Magnus spun the chair around, before placing his legs on either side of the back of the chair. Alec sighed. "Can't you just sit on a chair normally? You're like a hyperactive child sometimes." Magnus winked at him. "It's one of the things you love about me though." Alec thought this over for a moment. He shrugged. "I wouldn't change anything about you." He finally said, leaning in to kiss him. "Oh, please don't." Christopher interrupted, a look of disgust on his face. "It's bad enough that I have to stay here, but if you're going to do that, I think I'll take my chances on the streets." Alec went a bright shade of scarlet. "Right, sorry Chris. Can I call you Chris?" he asked nervously, not wanting to annoy him anymore than he already had. Chris shrugged noncommittally. "Whatever. I don't care." He went back to examining his fingernails. Alec looked at Magnus for help. "Where is he going to sleep?" Alec asked. "I'm not giving up our room." "You won't have to." Magnus replied. "He can sleep in the spare room." Alec looked puzzled. "Spare room? We don't have a spare room." Magnus snapped his fingers, blue flames licking his hands. "We do now." He beamed, beckoning for Alec and Chris to follow him. He sauntered over to a door that Alec had never noticed before. He pushed it open and they all peered inside. The room was like a cupboard. There was only room for a bed, a wardrobe and a bedside cabinet. The walls were all beige, the carpet an unattractive brown colour. Chris stared around the room. "Bit plain for your taste isn't it?" He asked. "I expected it to be more... You know, sparkly. With a few gay pride posters dotted around." Alec stared at him, mouth hanging open with shock. Magnus pushed his jaw back up with his thumb. "How old is he meant to be again?" asked Alec. Magnus ignored his question. "Just because I'm bisexual," he addressed Chris, "does not mean I have gay pride posters all over my apartment. And yes, I will agree with you, it's not to my taste." To be fair, the room was hideous. "I just didn't know what colour you wanted it. Pick a colour, any colour." He grinned, making different coloured flames appear at the ends of his fingers. Chris sighed. "I'll leave it. I don't particularly want my room looking like some gay parade walked in and spontaneously combusted. Are we done here?" He asked demandingly. Alec stuttered. "Of course. We'll leave you to unpack. Give us a shout if you need anything." They backed out of the room as Chris slammed the door. Alec flung himself at the sofa, lying flat on his face. "What have we done?" he asked himself in a whisper that was barely audible. But Magnus heard him. He squeezed himself into the remaining space on the sofa. Alec sat up. "If you wanted to sit down, you could have just asked me to move, you know." He smirked. "I know, but where's the fun in that?" Magnus put his head on Alec's shoulder. "It's just our luck that we get stuck with the homophobic nine year old. I thought we'd be getting a baby. Or a toddler at least." Alec kissed him lightly on the top of his head. "Just our luck indeed." He sighed. "How long did you say he was staying with us for?" "A week. I may die before Day Three." Magnus closed his eyes and snuggled his head into the side of Alec's neck. Alec rested his head on top of Magnus's and closed his eyes. "If you die, I swear I'll come and kill you." Magnus smirked, eyes still closed. "Because that's going to work so well for both of us." He sighed. Within seconds he was asleep. Alec chuckled to himself. He lived how Magnus could fall asleep anywhere. He kissed him on the cheek before sliding Magnus's head off his shoulder and on to the sofa. He paced back to the bedroom to grab his phone. He lay down on the bed and looked to his left. Sure enough, there was Chairman Meow, sprawled out over the duvet, claiming it as his own. He quickly dialled Isabelle's number. She picked up after the first ring. "Hey, what's up?" she asked casually. "You need to get over here now. We need to talk." Alec said urgently. "Let me guess. Magnus is secretly one of the Night Children. Simon attacked him, let's say, three weeks back." Izzy joked. Alec laughed. "I think I'd know if he was one of the Night Children. I'd be one too, if he was." "I did not need to know that." said Izzy firmly. "Explain what's going on when I get there. See you in a minute." She hung up. Alec shoved his phone into the pocket of his jacket. He left the Chairman sleeping on the bed. He wandered into the front room to check on Magnus. He was still sleeping, but he had managed to curl himself up into a ball and was snoring contentedly. He walked over to the door of Chris's room. "Chris?" He called. "Christopher?" He could hear the padding of footsteps approaching the other side of the door. The door was flung open to reveal Chris, dressed in black jeans and a black hoodie, the cable of his headphones snaking into his back pocket. He yanked the headphones out of his ears. "Can I help you?" He asked impatiently. "My sister Isabelle is coming over in a minute. Do you want to meet her?"


	7. Chapter 7

"Right." Alec's mouth was set into a firm line. He hammered on the door. "Christopher!" he yelled through the thin wood. Magnus woke with a start after hearing the banging. "What the fuck?" he shouted, dazed. The door swung open slowly. Chris leant against the door frame. "Seriously, what? Can't you see I'm busy?" He rolled his eyes. Alec was sick of it. "Please Christopher. We are letting you stay with us for a week. The least you could to is to show a little bit of respect towards us." He sighed. Thank God that was over. He hated yelling at anyone, especially small children. Christopher looked genuinely guilty. "Sorry Alec." He looked at the ground and shuffled his feet. Alec smiled at him. "It's fine. If you ever want to talk or ask any questions, I'm here. So is Mags." "Unless I'm asleep! Then disturb me at your peril!" Magnus laughed evilly from the sofa. Chris laughed softly. "I do have one question." He began. "Fire away." Alec leant against the wall. "Why does it smell like sandalwood?" He asked. Alec just smirked. He began to walk towards the living room. "We like the smell of sandalwood." He replied over his shoulder. Magnus smirked. "Nicely handled." Alec sat crossed legged on the sofa. "I thank you. Izzy's coming round soon by the way." "It's always a pleasure to have the great and wonderful Isabelle Lightwood join us." He replied sleepily, putting his head on Alec's lap. "You've just been to sleep, you can't be tired again!" Alec complained, stroking Magnus's hair. "You'd be surprised how tired I can be. I've been around for 800 years, it's frankly exhausting." Magnus closed his eyes, shaking his head, grinding glitter into Alec's jeans. Alec sighed. "Are these the extreme measures you'll go to just to get glitter on me?" he asked, wiping his glitter covered hand on the back of Magnus's t-shirt. "Seriously, how much do you need? It's probably weighing you down!" Magnus just smiled. "I wouldn't have to if you just wore a little bit. Believe me, it takes a lot of effort to look this good. I need this much glitter!" He lifted up his head and pushed his hair across Alec's face, cascading him with glitter. "By the Angel Magnus!" Alec laughed, brushing the glitter off his face. "You look good without glitter though, you could go either way. And now I have to take a shower thanks to you!" He pushed Magnus's head off his lap, kissed him gently before heading towards the bathroom. "Mind if I join you?" Magnus yelled after him. "Someone's got to let Izzy in." he yelled back. "Maybe later." He spun round and winked before closing the bathroom door behind him. There was a buzz from the intercom. Magnus walked over and pressed the speak button. "WHO DARES TO DISTURB THE HIGH WARLOCK OF BROOKLYN?" He yelled in a booming tone. "You know perfectly well who it is!" Izzy yelled back up. "Open the damn door." Magnus chuckled and opened the door. Izzy flew in. "Where's Alec?" she asked. "Nice to see you too." Magnus replied sarcastically. "Sorry." She was out of breath. "I came as soon as I could. What's up?" Magnus lowered his voice to a whisper. "It's about Christopher. The boy we've sort of adopted. He's staying with us for a week. He has a few... Problems that don't really work out in our favour." "Such as?" Izzy stared over at the door of Chris's bedroom. "I swear that door..." She mumbled under her breath. "Wasn't there before, I know. He's homophobic, which," he laughed nervously, "isn't really the best thing considering." "Can I talk to him?" she asked. "See what's going on with him." Magnus shrugged. "You can try. Alec had to talk to him a while ago about being respectful and stuff. He did seem to listen to him, so he's getting better." He gestured to the door. Isabelle knocked firmly on the door. "Christopher?" she asked through the door. "Can I come in?" On the other side of the door, Christopher paused. He was pretty sure that neither Alec or Magnus were women. "Chris." The voice came again. "I'm Isabelle, Alec's sister. Can I come in?" Chris padded over to the door and opened it. On the other side of the door stood a girl. She looked about 16 years old, with long black hair and deep brown eyes. "Of course." He smiled and stepped aside to let her in. Magnus's mouth fell open in shock. Seriously? A few words and she had already won his trust. Well, that was Izzy's way about things. Alec emerged from the bathroom, his hair soaking and smelling of sandalwood. "Has Izzy arrived?" He walked over, drying his hair with a towel, causing it to stand on end. Magnus was still staring at the door, wide-eyed. He pointed at the door. "She's in there, talking to Christopher." "Really?" Alec questioned in disbelief. "That's what I thought. I guess Izzy just has a way with people." Inside the room, Isabelle was sat on the edge of Chris's bed. "Bit dull for Magnus's taste"she muttered. Christopher was fiddling with the zip on his suitcase. "So, why did you end up here?" Izzy asked bluntly. Chris just stared at her. "I mean, if you don't mind me asking. If you don't want to talk about it, then that's fine by me." Isabelle stuttered. "No." said Chris quickly. "I want to talk about it. I just haven't had the chance to say anything to Alec or Magnus yet." He took a deep breath and began. Alec stood outside the door, trying to hear something that they were saying, but he hadn't been able to pick anything up. "Oh, by the way," Magnus called from the armchair, "it won't work. You can't hear anything. There are silencing charms on all the doors. Except the front door. I like to know who's arriving." Alec sighed and sat down on the sofa. "Any particular reasons for that?" he asked. "What, the silencing charms or the being able to hear who's arriving?" "Both." Alec answered. Magnus smirked. "Well, I like to be able to know if someone's outside my door, ready to attack me, so no silencing charm. I have silencing charms on the other doors because, darling, you are quite the screamer." Alec turned a violent shade of crimson. "Indiscreet." he muttered. "Who's quite the screamer?" Isabelle came into the room, followed by Christopher. They both threw themselves at the sofa. "No-one." Alec glared at Magnus, while he just laughed at his clearly furious boyfriend. "He is." Magnus chuckled, while Izzy looked horrified. "Thanks for that lovely image Magnus." "There's something I want to tell you all." Chris interrupted. "Sure. Fire away." Alec looked at Izzy, hoping her expression could give him some idea of what he was about to say. "There is a reason that I can appear homophobic at times. It's not just because I want to be mean to people who are different. No offence." He gestured at Magnus and Alec. "When I was younger, I lived with my mum and dad. My mum died when I was seven, and my dad married again. But he married another man. I didn't really understand at the time. All I knew was that he had replaced my mum, like she had never even been there at all. And it was horrible. Like she had never even mattered or..." At this point, he burst into tears. Magnus just looked terrified, while Alec put his arm around Chris's shaking shoulders. "Shhh. It's okay. We aren't like that, I promise." Alec considered what he had just said. He might not have been like that, but was Magnus? After all, he was 800 years old. He had left people behind, watched people die and he had just moved on. Was that what was going to happen to him? That night, Alec lay in bed, thinking about what he had said to Chris. It was inevitable. Magnus would move on, forget about him. As if he had never existed. The bed moved beside him as Magnus climbed in. Alec turned to face him. "I know. You've been thinking about what happened with Chris." He leant in and kissed him lightly. "I promise, there is no-one else after you. There could never be anyone else but you." Alec smiled. "I love you." He said sleepily. "I love you too." he whispered into the top of Alec's head. He curled in close to Magnus, closing his eyes. Within seconds, he was asleep. Magnus stroked his hair. He knew that one day, Alec would grow old and weak, whereas he would keep on living, keep surviving, never ageing. Maybe he was attracted to mortals because of their frailty, the light of human life that could so easily be snuffed out. Don't think of that, he thought to himself. All that mattered was making the most of the little time he had with Alec.


	8. Chapter 8

So I guess you're Chairman Meow then?" Chris mumbled. He reached down to stroke him behind the ears. The Chairman flopped to the floor and purred loudly. Chris smirked and picked him up, carrying him over to the bed. Chris climbed back under the duvet, setting the Chairman down on his lap. "You have eyes like Magnus's." He observed. "Strange..." How could a man have cat's eyes? But then again, Magnus was a strange man. "Where is my cat?" A ominous sounding voice boomed from outside the door. The Chairman's head perked up at the familiar voice. Christopher scooped up the cat in his arms and walked out of his room. "Here he is." Chris approached Magnus and handed him the Chairman. "Thanks." Magnus smiled at him. "Anything you want to do today?" Chris stared at the floor. "Maybe, we could redecorate my room? It's a bit plain." Magnus beamed. "Of course we can! ALEC!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. Alec stepped groggily out of his bedroom. "You could have been nice and woken me up gently. I'm too tired." He moaned, heading back for the comfort of his bed. Magnus sprinted to Alec and grabbed him, shaking him up and down. "WAKE UP!" He yelled at him. Alec scowled. "I bloody hate you." Magnus smirked and kissed him on the end of his nose. "No you don't. How could you ever hate such a gorgeous creature?" Alec laughed and kissed him lightly. "I couldn't." He sat down on the sofa. "So what's going on today then?" He asked. "We were going to decorate my room." said Chris quietly. "Any colour in particular? Black's a good one." Alec suggested. Magnus punched him in the arm. "It cannot be black, like your soul." Alec pretended to look hurt. "Just because your soul is filled with rainbows and glitter, does not mean the rest of the world does too." "But rainbows and glitter are the only way forward! Maybe blue or green?" Magnus put in. Chris thought for a second. "I like green. But an emeraldy sort of green. Like the Emerald City." Magnus clapped excitedly. "I love the Wizard of Oz! And green it is then!" He snapped his fingers and three pots of green paint appeared. "We'd better make a start then." Alec groaned. "How come you don't use magic to turn the walls that colour?" Magnus smirked at him. "Because, darling, where is the fun in that?" Alec heaved himself up off the sofa. "Fine. But I'm doing this for you." He pointed at Chris. "Do you have any old sheets we can cover his stuff with?" "I do. They're pretty badly stained though." Magnus smirked. "With what?" Alec inquired. Magnus laughed. "I think you know the answer to that question." Alec went bright red. "Oh. Maybe we should leave the sheets then. You can always get rid of any paint stains afterwards." Chris looked confused. "I don't get it. What are they stained with?" Alec went an even deeper shade of scarlet. "Don't worry about it." Magnus just chuckled. "I think these sheets need changing too." "SHUT UP! You're so indiscreet!" Alec yelled at him, barely containing his laughter. "I honestly don't know why I put up with you sometimes." "Because you love me, that's why. Anyway, let's go!" He grabbed a can of paint and gestured at the others to follow. Alec and Chris grabbed a can each and followed Magnus into the room. "It's bigger than I remember." Alec gazed around the room. "How long do you think it'll take us?" "Oh, I don't know... A few hours?" Magnus guessed. Alec sighed. "I may well lose the will to live before then." He leant against the wall and slumped to the floor. Chris took Alec's hand in his own and tried to pull him away from the wall. "Don't give up so easily! Come on!" He tugged at Alec's arm. "Wow, you're determined!" Alec said with surprise. "Okay, okay, I'm coming!" Later that evening, they were all sat down watching the Wizard of Oz, as Chris had requested and Magnus had begged. He was like a child at times, Alec thought. Chris was sat curled up in the armchair, watching avidly, while Magnus lay across Alec's lap, slowly falling asleep. How could he be falling asleep? It was all getting exciting. The Wicked Witch had just sent the flying monkeys to get Dorothy. Who was he kidding? Alec hated the Wizard of Oz. He was only watching it to keep Magnus and Chris happy. Alec glanced at his watch. It was nearly 11 o' clock. "Chris, I think you need to go to bed now. It's late." Alec said, Magnus's eyes snapping open at the sound of his voice. Chris looked over pleadingly. "Please can I stay up a bit longer? Just to watch the end?" Alec sighed. "I'm sorry, but it is late. We can watch the rest in the morning. Besides, look at Mags. He's falling asleep." Magnus raised a hand to acknowledge the fact that he was listening. Chris sighed. "I guess you're right." He stood up and headed towards his room. "Night Alec. Night Magnus. See you in the morning." "Night." They chorused, as Chris shut the door to his room. "I don't know about you, but I'm going to bed." stated Alec. "You look like you could use the sleep." Magnus smirked at him. "You do know, if I go to bed, I'm not going to sleep, if you know what I mean." Magnus winked. Alec's blush was hidden in the dimly lit room, only illuminated by the light of the television. "I don't want to have to change the sheets again." Magnus chuckled and kissed Alec. "Like you said earlier, I can get rid of the stains afterwards." Alec laughed. "Honestly... Come on then." They both got up and entered their bedroom, shutting the door behind them. 


	9. Chapter 9

"Did you guys hear any weird noises last night?" Chris asked through a mouthful of toast. "Because they sounded like they were coming from your room." "What kind of noises?" Magnus managed to look calm. "Like growling noises. Like an animal." Chris replied. Alec blushed. "I didn't hear anything. Did you hear anything Magnus?" "No, I didn't hear anything at all." Magnus choked on his laughter. "So how was the night in the Emerald City?" he changed the subject quickly. Chris smiled. "The green's a very relaxing colour, actually. Thanks for helping me decorate." Alec grinned. "You're welcome." Just then, the intercom buzzed. Magnus sighed and paced over. He pressed the speak button. "WHO DARES TO DISTURB THE HIGH WARLOCK OF BROOKLYN?" he boomed. "You know," a snide tone answered, "one day, you'll deafen someone." Alec looked startled. "Get him to go. Do anything, just make him leave. I don't want to tell him yet." Chris looked puzzled. "Tell who?" "My adoptive brother, Jace. I don't want to tell him about the whole adoption thing yet. After all, he is adopted. Might bring back painful memories." Alec explained. "Magnus, please!" Magnus sighed. "And you're here because...?" he asked. "Well, it might have something to do with the fact that I haven't heard from my brother in days. It might be quite nice to see him." "Well, he's not here at the moment, so you'll have to come back another time. Sorry." Magnus let go of the speak button and paced back to his chair. Suddenly, a loud crash came from downstairs. Magnus ran to the door and flung it open, staring down the steps to see Jace standing there with a broken, cracked door on the floor. "You gave me no other choice." He shrugged and walked up the steps, pushing past Magnus. "I can tell when you're lying Bane." "Bloody Wayland." Magnus muttered and followed him into the apartment. Alec had scarpered off somewhere, and had left Chris sitting at the table. "Who's he?" Jace gestured at Chris. Magnus cleared his throat. "Jace, this is Christopher. He's staying with us for the week." Jace looked from Magnus, to Chris, and back to Magnus. "And why, pray tell, is he staying with you?" Jace questioned. "Well... I'm not sure if Alec would want me to tell you, but I'm sure he'd be delighted to tell you himself." Magnus smiled. "Alec! Get out here!" Alec stepped out of Chris's room, where he had ducked into to hide from Jace. As he walked to stand next to Magnus, he punched him in the arm. "Asshole." He said firmly. Magnus rubbed his arm. "What the hell was that for?" Alec smiled at him sarcastically (if a smile can be sarcastic?). "For telling him that I was here when you knew full well I didn't want to tell him." "I'm sorry." Magnus pulled him in for a hug. "I really am." Alec nuzzled his head into Magnus's chest. "I know. You always are. And I always forgive you." He raised his head to kiss Magnus on the cheek. He turned to Jace. "Well, we were looking into adoption and Chris needed a place to stay quickly, so we- well, Magnus actually, I was sleeping- decided to take him in. Just for a week, to see how we get on. And I'm sorry for not telling you sooner. I just wanted to wait for the right time." Alec explained and looked at Jace, hoping his facial expressions would portray some kind of emotion. "Just one question. Has he touched any of the furniture?" Jace looked genuinely worried. "Of course I have." put in Chris. "I needed to sit down somewhere. Why, was I not meant to touch it?" he asked confusedly. Magnus just chuckled. "It's fine to touch the furniture. Just Jace messing with you." Jace twitched nervously. "Not clean. Not clean. Not clean." he muttered under his breath. "Alec, your brother's weird." Chris got up from the table and walked into his room. "I'm getting dressed." He yelled before shutting the door behind him. "And we needed to know that because?" Magnus called after him. Chris either didn't hear, or just ignored him. "Oh and by the way Jace, I wouldn't lean against that wall. Our first time, remember?" he winked at Alec and laughed. Jace squealed like a girl and jumped about 20 feet in the air. "Eww..." Alec hit him again. "You're so indiscreet." Magnus just laughed. "It's one of the things you love about me." "It's one of the few things I hate about you." Alec smiled. "Are we going to watch the Wizard of Oz?"


	10. Chapter 10

That night, they'd finished watching the Wizard of Oz. Well, Chris and Magnus were watching. Alec was complaining about every aspect of the film, while Jace, who for some bizarre reason had stayed, was just rocking backwards and forwards, occasionally muttering things like 'unsanitary' and 'why there, of all places'. The next morning, Alec woke up earlier than everyone else. He rubbed his eyes and checked the time on his phone. It was half past four, far too early for anyone else to be awake. He looked over at Magnus, who was sleeping contentedly, with Chairman Meow sprawled over his stomach. Alec smirked as Magnus rolled over, half squishing the Chairman. They both let out a yelp, the Chairman from being squashed, and Magnus from having Chairman Meow's claws in his stomach. "What the bloody hell...?" Magnus stuttered, looking around dazedly. "Shh. Just go back to sleep." Alec said, stroking the Warlock's hair. "Well, I'm awake now, thanks to that godforsaken cat." He grumbled. "What time is it anyway?" Alec checked his phone again. "Twenty-eight minutes to five." "Wow, that's precise. And I swear the Chairman is just jealous of the relationship I have with my duvet." Alec pretended to look shocked. "You're cheating on me... With a duvet?!" he said, in a slightly raised voice, but not loud enough to wake everyone up. "Yes, his name is Alex and we're very happy. I hope you can understand." Magnus joked, pulling the duvet closer around him. Alec laughed and snatched the duvet away from him. "I'm burning him." Magnus's mouth fell open in horror. "No! Alex! The love of my life!" He tried to get up and grab the duvet from Alec, but he was pushed back down by Alec's foot. "I thought I was the love of your life?" Alec smirked. "Can I get up?" Magnus asked. "Am I the love of your life? Or is it," He shook the duvet. "Alex?" Magnus pushed Alec's foot to the side and quickly stood up. "You, of course, stupid." He kissed Alec quickly as he walked past. "Breakfast?" he called back. "Coming." Alec threw the duvet back on to the bed and exited the room. He went to sit down on the sofa when he stopped suddenly. "What the hell?" he yelled, startling Magnus. "What is it?" Magnus ran in from the kitchen. "Jace?" The shape on the sofa turned around. It was a bleary eyed Jace. He sat up groggily. "Where am I?" Magnus folded his arms. "Where you are, Wayland, is on my sofa. Where you shouldn't be. And I though you said the sofa wasn't clean?" Jace looked up at him. "I was so tired in the end, that I didn't really care about whether it was clean or not. And would you have really let me walk home alone in the dark?" "Yes. Because you're a Shadowhunter. You can protect yourself." Magnus stormed off back to the kitchen. Jace looked confusedly at Alec. "What's up with him today?" he whispered, as if in fear of being heard. "It's early. He should still be asleep." Alec looked over to the kitchen door. "I should probably go check if he's okay." He wandered slowly to the kitchen and leant against the door frame. Magnus was stirring something in a pan that looked like pancakes. "Pancakes?" Alec enquired, walking over to stand next to Magnus. "You guessed it." Magnus replied stiffly, still stirring, not even looking at Alec. "Look at me." Magnus slowly turned his head to look Alec in the eye. The expression on Alec's face looked like he was exploring his mind through those gold-green slitted eyes, trying to find an answer. "What are you looking for?" Magnus said softly. Alec sighed, placing his hands on Magnus's chest. "Why are you so annoyed that Jace slept on the sofa?" Magnus put his arms around Alec's neck. "I guess it's just the fact that he didn't even ask. It would have been polite to have been asked, instead of him just crashing there without a word." Alec chuckled. "You're annoyed because of that? You should know Jace well enough by now to know that he doesn't ask. He just does. Don't be annoyed at him." Magnus laughed. "Well, know you've asked me not to be annoyed at him, I can't keep holding a grudge against him, can I?" Alec looked surprised. "You don't have to do everything I ask you to, you know." "Oh, but I do. It keeps you happy. Therefore, it keeps me happy. Keeping us both happy." Magnus pulled him in and hugged him tightly. "How many times can you use happy in one speech?" Alec mumbled into his chest. "Well, it wasn't exactly a speech, was it?" Magnus smirked. "Shut up." "Make me." Alec laughed, disentangling himself from Magnus's arms. "Anytime you want. Except now. We have guests. And he's already mentally traumatised enough." "I'd say so." He paused and sniffed the air, before whirling round yelling "no, no, no! The pancakes!" The pancake mix was now a smouldering pile of ash (if that's even possible) in the bottom of the pan. "Well, I guess I'm not the only one who can't cook then!" Alec laughed. Magnus looked crestfallen. "You distracted me." He said miserably. "But that's what I do best." Alec pushed Magnus up against the counter and kissed him passionately. At that moment, Jace walked into the kitchen to find out where the smell of burning was coming from. He saw Alec and Magnus locked in an embrace and his mouth fell open. "Not the kitchen too!" He screamed, before running out. Magnus broke away and yelled after Jace, "We can be louder if you'd like!" "Well, I'm sure you wouldn't have a problem with that Mags." Alec smirked. "Remember, it's early and Chris is still asleep. We don't want to wake him up." "Well, you'd be the one waking him up, what with the whole screaming-my-name thing." Magnus laughed manically and ducked to avoid Alec's fist. "I'm ordering breakfast." Alec looked bemused. "From where, exactly?" "The world of magic." He snapped his fingers and on the counter appeared a pile of pancakes. "Food!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. "I'm not setting foot in that kitchen!" Jace yelled back. "Shut up! You'll wake Chris!" Alec said exasperatedly. "Too late." A sleepy looking Chris walked into the room. "Ooh, pancakes." His eyes lit up as he grabbed one off the top of the pile. "Where's Jace?" he asked. Magnus smirked at Alec. "Let's just say... I don't think he'll be coming in here anytime soon." Alec laughed. "I'm just going to ring Izzy quickly. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialled Izzy's number. She picked up after two rings. "What do you want? Do you know how early it is?" She yelled angrily. "Do you want pancakes?" Alec enquired. "Of course I want pancakes. Bring them to me." Izzy joked. "Well, they're here. And so is Jace. So come round if you want. But I warn you, they'll all be gone soon. See you in a bit." He hung up and shoved his phone back in his pocket. "Izzy's on her way." Alec stated, grabbing a pancake. The last pancake. "Oh hell no, that was my one! Give it back!" Magnus demanded. Alec held it high above his head. "How many have you had?" "Three. But does it matter?" A devilish grin spread over Magnus's face. He snapped his fingers and the pancake appeared in his hand. "Ha." He took a bite out of it. "Delicious." He said, spraying crumbs everywhere. "Oh, you heartless son of a bitch." Alec pretended to sulk. Magnus sighed and snapped his fingers again. Another plate of pancakes appeared. "Ooh, more pancakes!" Chris went to grab one, but Magnus slapped his hand away. "Save some for Izzy and Alec." "And me!" Jace yelled from the other room. "If you want some, then you have to come and get them!" Alec called back. "I'd rather die." Jace mumbled to himself, vowing never to go into the kitchen again.


	11. Chapter 11

"What the hell?" yelled Magnus. Alec flung open the door. There stood a very bleary eyed Isabelle. "Where are my pancakes you mother fucker?" Izzy demanded angrily. "You dragged me out of bed so I want pancakes!" Magnus tutted. "Language, Isabelle. Set a good example for Christopher." Izzy stormed into the kitchen, muttering something about showing Chris a good example of stabbing someone through the head. She flopped down onto one of the chairs and grabbed a pancake, eating it slowly. "Hey Izzy." Chris said sleepily. Isabelle reached over and ruffled his hair. "Sup." she sprayed a mouthful of pancake all over the table. Magnus grimaced. "Nice." He snapped his fingers and the chewed up pancake disappeared. "So what's planned for today?" Izzy asked, making sure she had swallowed all the pancake before talking. (It sounds so wrong... Hehe) "Well," Magnus announced. "I for one would quite like to go back to sleep." Jace gave a noncommittal shrug, while Alec just answered, "I don't mind. Whatever anyone else feels like doing." Magnus headed back to his bedroom. "I'm going back to sleep. Goodnight." He slammed the door behind him. "Well, that's one of us sorted then." Alec sat down. "What about the rest of us?" Before anyone could answer, Izzy's phone went off. She pulled it out of her pocket and checked the caller ID. "Mom." She said before putting the phone to her ear. "What's the matter?" She asked, her face contorted into an expression of worry. Her face fell. "We'll be right there." She hung up and pushed the phone back in her pocket. "We've got a couple of Achaierai demons to deal with." She stood up quickly, grabbing Jace and running for the door. "Meet you at the Institute in ten?" She asked Alec. He nodded back briefly before heading to the bedroom. "What's going on?" asked a confused Chris. "I have to go and fight some demons. It's sort of my job, I suppose. But I'll be back later. You've got Magnus to look after you, you'll be fine. Wait a sec, I've got to get into my gear." He ran into the bedroom, closing the door behind him. Magnus was half asleep when Alec came in. "What's going on?" He pushed himself into a sitting position. Alec was rummaging through the wardrobe. "We've got an emergency with some Achaierai demons." He looked at Magnus. "Nothing we can't handle." He found his gear and quickly pulled it on. He approached the bed, kissed Magnus quickly and said "I'll be back later, okay?" "Please be careful." Magnus held his arms and looked him in the eye. "I will." He pulled himself from Magnus's grip and left the room. Magnus heard a "see you later Chris" and a door slam. And he was gone. Just like that. He lay down again, pulling himself under the covers. He felt like he wanted to stay there for the rest of his life, to not move or speak to anyone again. "Magnus?" A faint voice came from the doorway. "Can I come in? Magnus unwrapped his head from the duvet. Chris was stood there, peering round the door frame. Magnus smirked at him. "Sure." He patted the bed next to him. Chris sat down. "So what's up?" "You're worrying me." Chris admitted. Magnus looked puzzled. "Why am I worrying you?" Chris sighed. "Well, you seem really unhappy whenever Alec needs to go somewhere and you can't come with him. But this time, it seems worse. You're acting like he's not going to come back. He is going to come back, isn't he?" Chris looked on the verge of tears. Magnus pulled Chris closer and held him tightly. "Of course he's going to come back. I just worry in case something happens to him, that's all. I couldn't bear it if he got hurt." Magnus knew what he was saying was a lie. Not all of it, but some of it. It was true that he wouldn't be able to bear it if something happened to him, but he could never guarantee that he would come back. "Brilliant." Magnus mumbled. Now all he could think about was if Alec didn't come home. What if he died out there, and he didn't know about it? Something inside him told him he would know about it, he'd feel it if Alec died. But he couldn't be sure. For all he knew, when Alec went demon hunting, he might never see him again. "Come on." Chris said softly. "Let's take your mind off it." He took Magnus's hand and tried to pull him out of bed. "Come on!" Magnus sighed, peeled back the duvet and allowed himself to be led by Chris into the front room. "What did you have in mind exactly?" Chris looked at him in confusion for a second. "I don't know, you decide. You're the one who needs to be distracted." Alec normally distracts me, Magnus thought, smirking. "Well, let's put on a film then." "Can we watch the Wizard of Oz then?" Chris asked hopefully. Magnus would have preferred to watch Gilligan's Island, but it was whatever kept Chris happy, he supposed. "Sure." Magnus grabbed the DVD box off the TV cabinet and pushed the disc into the DVD player. He flung himself at the sofa. The movie began to play. It had got to the part when Dorothy was singing "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" when Chris suddenly spoke and startled Magnus. "You live in the rainbow." He laughed. Magnus smirked at him. "Indeed I do. At least I don't live in the Emerald City." Chris pretended to sulk. "I like the Emerald City!" Magnus was about to make a clever comment when his phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and checked the caller ID. It was Izzy. "What's wrong?" Magnus panicked, instantly fearing the worst. "Is Alec alright?" Izzy was crying now. "Magnus, he's been injured. Really badly injured."


End file.
